Touch Stay vs Hostfully: A Practical Comparison

Touch Stay and Hostfully both replace the paper welcome binder with a mobile guide. Their differences appear in the work around the guide.

Touch Stay suits guest communication around the stay. Hostfully suits a free first guidebook or a guide connected to Hostfully's property-management ecosystem.

This comparison uses public information checked on August 19, 2026. Both companies can change their plans, so confirm a live quote before subscribing.

The short answer

Choose Touch Stay if scheduled email and SMS, guest-specific links, contact collection, an upsell store, and broad booking integrations belong in the same workflow as your guide.

Choose Hostfully if you want one free guidebook, need bulk editing and translations on a paid portfolio plan, or already use Hostfully PMS and Devices.

Choose a simpler alternative if you only need a house manual and QR code. Products such as myHouseGuide leave out the communication and commerce layers in exchange for a lower, flatter price.

Touch Stay and Hostfully at a glance

Question	Touch Stay	Hostfully Guidebooks
Free access	14-day trial, no card required	Free plan for 1 guidebook
Public pricing	Calculator based on use case and property count	Free is $0; Pro price is not displayed publicly
Portfolio tiers	Starter, Growth, and Pro	Free, Pro up to 199, Enterprise at 200+
Scheduled messages	Yes, depending on plan	Not a core standalone guidebook feature
Guest CRM and contacts	Yes, depending on plan	Email capture available
PMS connections	Broad integration options	Strongest with Hostfully PMS and Devices
Upsells	Store with products, payments, and order tools	Marketplace and revenue tools on paid tiers
Offline and PDF	Yes	Print and PDF access
Bulk content	Content Hub and shared management	Bulk editing on Pro and Enterprise

The table describes current plan pages, not every limit. Use the Touch Stay calculator and Hostfully guidebook pricing page for a final quote.

Pricing is transparent in different ways

Hostfully publishes the boundary of its free plan: one guidebook at $0. The page also states that this tier includes sponsored recommendations. Pro supports up to 199 guidebooks, while Enterprise begins at 200. It does not show the Pro dollar amount on the public comparison page.

Touch Stay has no permanent free plan. It offers a 14-day trial without a credit card. Its calculator requires the guide type, number of properties, currency, and monthly or annual billing before returning a price. Annual billing can save up to 30%, according to the page.

This means neither site gives every shopper a single paid number at first glance. Run both quotes with the same property count. Then record which features sit on the quoted tier rather than comparing a free plan with a top paid plan.

Touch Stay goes further into guest communication

Touch Stay's current comparison table includes scheduled pre-arrival, check-in, checkout, and feedback emails. Higher tiers add scheduled SMS, two-way messaging, guest-specific links, booking-source content, contact exports, and automated contact imports.

Hosts can make the guidebook part of the reservation timeline. Guests can receive the right link without a host pasting it into each conversation, and hosts can limit access by time.

Hostfully's standalone guidebook focuses more tightly on the guide itself: booking-to-checkout content, local recommendations, sharing, printing, and revenue features. Hostfully markets a separate property management platform for channel management, messaging, and wider operations. Buyers should distinguish the standalone Guidebooks subscription from the PMS.

Hostfully offers a practical free starting point

One free guidebook is enough for a new host to replace a paper binder without adding a monthly bill. It includes a customizable guide and can sync with Hostfully PMS and Devices.

There are two limits to consider. Sponsored recommendations appear in the free product, and Hostfully lists customizable branding on Pro. If the guide must present only your own recommendations and visual identity, ask to see the paid result and price.

Touch Stay's trial is better suited to evaluating the full workflow before paying. Test guide creation, message timing, offline access, and any integration you depend on during those 14 days.

Both can sell extras, but the mechanics differ

Touch Stay lists a full store: product variations, order management, notifications, online payments, tax tools, and off-platform payment options. This suits operators who treat early check-in, late checkout, equipment, or food packages as a managed catalogue.

Hostfully Pro includes revenue-generating capabilities and a Guidebook Marketplace. Its pricing FAQ states that marketplace upsells incur a 1% Stripe fee. Hostfully also connects guides with partner services such as transport and equipment rental.

Compare the whole transaction, not the presence of an “upsells” checkmark. Ask who controls the product, who processes the payment, which fee applies, how refunds work, and where the order appears for staff.

Your existing software can decide the portfolio fit

Touch Stay's Content Hub manages information shared between guidebooks. Its plans also list team seats, subdomains, custom domains, and personalized onboarding for accounts with seven or more guides, with availability depending on tier.

Hostfully Pro offers bulk editing and instant translations into more than 16 languages. Enterprise adds priority support, guidebook creation assistance, and bulk discounts.

The strongest tie-breaker may be software you already use. Hostfully Guidebooks can sync with Hostfully PMS and Devices. Touch Stay lists booking-data integrations as a core part of its broader platform. Moving fewer records between systems is usually worth more than one small design feature.

Both cover the core guest experience

Guests can open a browser-based, mobile-friendly guide from either product. Hosts can add arrival details, house rules, amenity instructions, photos or video, and local recommendations to each. Both support QR codes and a printable or PDF form.

Touch Stay adds offline access, dynamic text, content feedback, Google Places recommendations, guide performance analytics, and access controls on its current feature table.

Hostfully emphasizes card-based guides, map views, reusable templates, guest email capture, printable manuals, recommendation-only guides, and its marketplace. Capterra's Hostfully Guidebooks listing reports a 4.8 rating from 123 reviews and describes support and ease of use as recurring strengths.

If you are planning the content before choosing software, our digital guest guide guide covers the information guests need first.

Which one should you choose?

Pick Touch Stay when

• The guide should trigger or sit inside scheduled guest communication
• You want contact collection, CRM features, and two-way messaging
• Your team needs an integrated store with order management
• Offline access matters for remote properties
• You need a booking or PMS integration that Touch Stay supports

Pick Hostfully when

• You have one property and want a permanent free guide
• You already use Hostfully PMS or Devices
• Bulk editing and instant translations are central to your portfolio
• You want Hostfully's marketplace and partner services
• Your operation is approaching its 200-guidebook Enterprise tier

Consider myHouseGuide when

• You need the guide, QR code, translations, and printable access without a CRM or store
• You want unlimited properties at $5 monthly, $50 yearly, or $100 lifetime
• Your starting material is a PDF, images, or rough notes that need structuring

Read myHouseGuide vs Touch Stay and myHouseGuide vs Hostfully for those direct comparisons. Our vacation rental welcome book guide can help you decide what to publish before you choose a platform.

Test one real guest journey

Build the same property in both trials. Send the link to someone who has never visited. Ask them to find the door instructions, Wi-Fi, heating controls, and nearest late-night food without your help.

Then test the host side: change one shared rule, schedule one arrival, and create one paid extra. Choose the tool that lets your team complete those tasks with less explanation.

Header photo by Antonio Araujo on Unsplash.